The Du Lac
Prophecy
(Book 4 of The
Du Lac Chronicles)
By Mary Anne
Yarde
Two Prophesies. Two Noble Households. One Throne.
Distrust and greed
threaten to destroy the House of du Lac. Mordred Pendragon strengthens his hold
on Brittany and the surrounding kingdoms while Alan, Mordred’s cousin, embarks
on a desperate quest to find Arthur’s lost knights. Without the knights and the
relics they hold in trust, they cannot defeat Arthur’s only son – but finding
the knights is only half of the battle. Convincing them to fight on the side of
the Du Lac’s, their sworn enemy, will not be easy.
If Alden, King of Cerniw,
cannot bring unity there will be no need for Arthur’s knights. With Budic
threatening to invade Alden’s Kingdom, Merton putting love before duty, and
Garren disappearing to goodness knows where, what hope does Alden have? If
Alden cannot get his House in order, Mordred will destroy them all.
Excerpt
“I
feared you were a dream,” Amandine whispered, her voice filled with wonder as
she raised her hand to touch the soft bristles and the raised scars on his
face. “I was afraid to open my eyes. But you really are real,” she laughed
softly in disbelief. She touched a lock of his flaming red hair and pushed it
back behind his ear. “Last night…” she studied his face intently for several
seconds as if looking for something. “I am sorry if I hurt you. I didn’t know
who you were, and I didn’t know where I was. I was scared.”
“You
certainly gave me a walloping,” he grinned gently down at her, his grey eyes
alight with humour. “I think you have the makings of a great mercenary. I might
have to recruit you to my cause.”
She
smiled at his teasing, but then she began to trace the scars on his face with
the tips of her fingers, and her smile disappeared. “Do they still hurt?”
“Yes,”
Merton replied. “But the pain I felt when I thought you were dead was a hundred
times worse. Philippe had broken my body, but that was nothing compared to the
pain in my heart. Without you, I was lost.”
“That
day… When they beat you. You were so brave,” Amandine replied.
Her
fingers felt like butterflies on his skin, so soft and gentle. He closed his
eyes to savour the sensation.
“I
never knew anyone could be that brave,” Amandine continued. “You could have won
your freedom and yet, you surrendered to their torture to save me. Why? I am
but one person. Just one amongst so many.”
“Why
do you think?” Merton asked shakily, opening his eyes to look at her again,
hoping she could see the depth of his love in his scarred and deformed face.
“I
gave you these scars,” Amandine stated with a painful realisation, her hand
dropping away from his face. “You are like this because of me,” her voice was
thick with unshed tears.
“No,
not because of you,” Merton immediately contradicted. “My reputation,
Philippe’s greed, Mordred’s hate, and Bastian’s fear, gave me these scars—”
“I
should not have gone back to your chamber. If they had not found me there, then
they would never have known about us. If they had not known, then you would
have had no cause to surrender. Bastian would not have taken your sword arm.”
Amandine touched what was left of his arm. “Philippe would not have lashed
you.” She touched his face again and shook her head. “I am to blame.” She sat
up and her eyes filled with tears, her hand fell away from his face. “I am to
blame,” she said again as a tear slipped down her cheek. “How can you stand to
be near me?”
Mary Anne Yarde
Mary Anne Yarde is the
multi award-winning author of the International Bestselling Series — The Du Lac
Chronicles. Set a generation after the fall of King Arthur, The Du Lac
Chronicles takes you on a journey through Dark Age Briton and Brittany, where
you will meet new friends and terrifying foes. Based on legends and historical
fact, The Du Lac Chronicles is a series not to be missed.
Mary Anne is the founder of
The Coffee Pot Book Club. She has been a professional
reader since 2016 and in this time Mary Anne has reviewed many books for the
big and small publishing houses, as well as books penned by her fellow indie
authors. Mary Anne is an editorial reviewer for The Coffee Pot Book Club and
BooksGoSocial. Mary Anne has been a judge for a prestigious Historical Fiction
Book Award for the last three years, as well as being a Top Reviewer on
Netgalley.
Born in Bath, England, Mary
Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by
centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury — the fabled Isle of Avalon —
was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his
knights were part of her childhood.
Connect
with Mary Anne: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Amazon Author Page
• Goodreads.
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See you on your next coffee break!
Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx